I wish some one would download the newer version of J D Sumner singing with The Blackwood Brothers, Hide Me Rock of Ages. It was on here for several months, but has been removed.
here again is London parris coming out to sing a bass line with the Bass singer of all bass singers, But as you can see J.D. motions London to come out and sing with him.
I love all those great old songs bill shaw, sang tenor on with the blackwood brothers. their the best of the bunch! I was so glad when bill gathier got jd, james, and jimmy, on one of his tapes they had bill with them. and from the opening note he sang you knew he still had it! even at that age. the blackwood group for me has jd on bass and bill on tenor....always.
Whitey Gleason was my 6th grade History teacher. And believe it or not, after he died (he died of cancer a few years back) I moved intto his house, which is where I live now.
What a classic, what a jewel...to see one of the immortals.....J.D.Sumner in his prime and schooling the young London Parris taking his under his wing .....this is classic J.D.
Bill Shaw floats so easily on his solo line here (and elsewhere)- he sounds so natural and unforced... I feel sorry for Cecil Blackwood; an excellent baritone when you can hear him, he's unable to get near the mike since it is being swallowed by JD.
@unc7480 yea jd did swallow the...(area mic)...mic. Not long after this he came up with the idea to mic every voice individually. Isn't that great? now you get to enjoy every sound!!! ESPECIALLY JD'S!!!
Whitey Gleason is your uncle?? I've been looking for a fantastic piano solo he did on a blackwood brothers record. It's the song "Assurance March". I cannot find that song=I can kinda play it from memory but I would sure love the notes--Do you have any leads you could pass on? Thanks! Krinklebina
Many thanks for this posting. It is now listed among my favorites. What a blessing to see the boy cut the wood and tote the water on this now classic. It is especially heart warming to see the friendship with the world's lowest bass singer..J.D.Sumner and the London Parris a worthy competitor who could hold his own and on any given Sunday could give J.D. a run for his money. I would even rank them in the company of the merciless immortal Herman Harper of the Oaks.
The pianist is my late uncle, 'Whitey' Gleason - a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and one of my favorite people ever. He had a successful quartet of his own, the Jubilee Quartet, and his son has written Gospel songs that have been recorded by international groups.
ooops I just sent a question to the general comments--it was meant for you. I've been looking for quite some time for a piano solo called "assurance March" that whitey gleason performed. Any leads on where I could get the song or the notes? Thanks.
No way...you have me wrong...the mike helps them to sing those low notes...London sang his notes, as did JD and the Big Chief, but they had to be amplified like you said to get out to a large auditorum. We sing in a 400 seat church and no mikes are used for anything except for the readers and preacher, so we have to hit the notes to make it go....I wouldn't like to hear an unmiked quartet in a large place....people snore to loud!
Ok I just wanted to make sure you are not one of these bottom feeders that like to trash someone just because they are famous or try to belitle their accomplishments by making false or misleading videos, utterances etc. like on other videos just to make yourself look good.
I take a dim view of that. Am am willing to verbally spar with anyone that wants to and am here for the duration
Did you ever see Seals "low note" Hilton in person? He had a knack for lowering that last note or two below what was expected. Arnold Hiles sang from a wheelchair doing the Jerico Road and the mike was two feet from him...sitting down.!!!
Chalmers Walker of the Memphians Quartet was a great bass. I never bash a bass, but did one long time ago when Billy Todd started with the Florida Boys in the 50's....he was singing baritone.
Yes I've seen Hilton in person. Parris in person Sumner, Weatherington, Downing, Younce, Todd, Too many to name. If feedback isn't a problem one can run enough volumn on a mike to get good response from some distance. With all the monitors they use now feedback begins to be a problem when a mike is run hot especially on a small stage.
I even talked with Londons voice trainer Leroy Abernathy at Floyd Goldens home in Knoxville years ago. Super low guy too. And high too.
The last time I saw London in Memphis, he was selling Fords. Claude Murphy was a real natural bass and he sang with the Hartford Quartet and my mother played the piano for them. She and Doy Ott took turns at the Mississippi State Fair in Pontotoc, MS.
My personal preference was London over JD...I went to many live performances in Memphis in the late 50's and 60's...the NAQC and London have a deeper presence in his tone than JD. JD sounded like a truck climbing a hill..London learned early on to eat the mike using the extra boost to mellow out his deeper notes....listen to In the Upper Room on one of the old 33 1/3 rpm records and you can hear the low notes.
In my opinion, It is obvious from this clip, that JD had a fuller, louder bass sound for you can't barely hear Parris at the end. Now, the question is what makes a bass singer better?, his voice, depth, resonance, range? I think how the person control all of these attributes. To me that's what makes a better bass singer. And on this, I feel Parris was a better bass singer, and Big John Hall, the ultimate Bass singer in my opinion.
I guess it is depth or resonance that Parris had that was really good. This might not be the best song to listen to for JD Sumner's bass ability, though, as it is more a showcase of Bill Shaw's awesome tenor singing, and JD I know could get lower than he does on this song.
Take away the microphone and JD was lost...watch the older videos of the Statesmen and BW Brothers and they are all looking for the mike...getting as close as they can...a true bass can do it without help!
Hey, I have a question about bass singing. J.D. Sumner, Bill Gaither, and others I have seen raise their hand to their ear sometimes. What is this for?
If you place you cupped hand over your ear, you can hear what you are singing better, especially with others behind you or the studio monitors at your feet blasting away at you. JD did it the most aand sometimes Bill Gaiter will do it. Harold Gilley did it in fun to mimic JD.
yep GospelPhil hit the nail on the head, and sometimes they do other stuff like plug their ear with their finger or in live shows wear an earpiece so that they can hear there voice without having to do things like that.
We have a guy at ETSU in Johnson City who can flatfoot a low c without a mike. I stand next to a 5 foot 2 bass in the choir who can belt out low e's and f's without a mike. Listen to the low and double low c list of bass singers that is on youtube.
Well since you have some get them to demonstrate their talents.
We will be alright if you just use a camcorder and record them doing a low c and maybe an a or a flat below low c in a song and doing it fluently. None of theis Tim Storms ignorance etc.. Not saying they can't do it because I can hit notes below low c just keying my voice and a piano. And I can do it without a mike too but I couldn't be heard over a piano and 3 others singing in a 5000 seat auditorium. Can they?
Shaw does some great tenor singing here. At the time this was performed, Parris was lower than J.D. By the 70's, though, JD's voice was as low or lower.
Well, anyone who followed Sumner's career knows his voice lowered over time. A columnist for Singing News did a story on the "best bass singers" once and said the same thing. As for London Parris, look at the videos on here for "On Zion's Hill" and "I Want to Get Closer". Parris could sing very, very low notes and was much underrated as a bass singer. Compare the 60's J.D. and the 60's London. Which one is lower in your opinion?
I am not arguing with you. If I remember correctly London's lowered over time too as most bass singers does. Look at Richard Sterban from the time he was with JD and now.
Look at the early George Younce recordings.
Just about any bass singer you can name (leave Tim Storms out of this discussion) voice has lower over the years. Even some tenors have lowered through maturity of the voice.
So I would have to be given a specific example of a song where you know each bottomed out on.
Sing it bill shaw!! And what about the late great London Parris in on the end. SUCH clarity with his singing...look up "The Rebels quartet, I want to get closer"...wow!!
This is just great. This is just as I remember the group when I first saw them in 1963. Except the piano player was Wally Verner when I saw them. How wonderful of you to share this with us. Thanks again for posting.
I don't think so. London Parris was never with the Blackwood Brothers. London with the Rebel's Quartet only sung with the Blackwood Brothers as the two groups sung together. At the end of a show.
London Parris sang with the Blackwood Brothers from 1968-1972, he replaced John Hall, and was replaced by Ken Turner...John Hall replaced JD when he left to reorganize the stamps
zajebiste, nergal w porównaniu z tym to pedał
muzykaXXIwieku 1 month ago
Comment removed
EnchiladaMan360 3 months ago
I wish some one would download the newer version of J D Sumner singing with The Blackwood Brothers, Hide Me Rock of Ages. It was on here for several months, but has been removed.
RWR1954 3 months ago
James Blackwood: Little guy, big talent.
EnchiladaMan360 4 months ago
@gospellover
Too funny. To go along with the singing mics you would need a piano that plays itself.
jmcinvale 5 months ago
@gospellover
ROFLMAO
jmcinvale 5 months ago
Great harmony with James and Bill's voices when the three non-bass parts sang together.
uofmrebel 5 months ago
here again is London parris coming out to sing a bass line with the Bass singer of all bass singers, But as you can see J.D. motions London to come out and sing with him.
StacieAnn78 11 months ago
I love all those great old songs bill shaw, sang tenor on with the blackwood brothers. their the best of the bunch! I was so glad when bill gathier got jd, james, and jimmy, on one of his tapes they had bill with them. and from the opening note he sang you knew he still had it! even at that age. the blackwood group for me has jd on bass and bill on tenor....always.
TheBabyboomkidof53 11 months ago 4
@TheBabyboomkidof53
I agree.
jmcinvale 6 months ago in playlist Christian
This has been flagged as spam show
WOW! WOW! WOW!
I can hardly wait to get to heaven! Praise Jesus THE KING of KINGS!
peeanergeetar12
peeanergeetar12 1 year ago
WOW! WOW! WOW!
I can hardly wait to get to heaven! Praise Jesus THE KING of KINGS!
peeanergeetar12 1 year ago
Comment removed
fyllardpol 1 year ago
the best part was 0:01 - 2:20
ashleysmusic665 1 year ago 4
@ashleysmusic665 hahaha
yebyo 1 year ago
Just wow!
yoj6179 1 year ago
This song is perfect. Nothing more to say. Thank you for the inspiration J.D.
ashleysmusic665 1 year ago
This is great...Thanks for posting...Janie
Mickey4015 1 year ago
Wow J.D is very inspirational.
Nice person to.
bangnstangs 1 year ago 3
I had Bill Shaw and wife Wilma visiting in my home in 2008. He sang at my home church . They are sweet people. He will be 87 I think this year.
jerjans 1 year ago
Dalton ?
racamoni 2 years ago
another gem by a great quartet
1cockav 2 years ago 3
Whitey Gleason was my 6th grade History teacher. And believe it or not, after he died (he died of cancer a few years back) I moved intto his house, which is where I live now.
neffers13 2 years ago 3
nice low F jd
doublethelowc 2 years ago
Comment removed
trayb1963 2 years ago
What a classic, what a jewel...to see one of the immortals.....J.D.Sumner in his prime and schooling the young London Parris taking his under his wing .....this is classic J.D.
miltmonkey 2 years ago 15
Bill Shaw floats so easily on his solo line here (and elsewhere)- he sounds so natural and unforced... I feel sorry for Cecil Blackwood; an excellent baritone when you can hear him, he's unable to get near the mike since it is being swallowed by JD.
unc7480 2 years ago 6
I saw Bill Shaw in person three years ago. He still sounds great at about 85. Lives in Anderson, s.c>
chuckiesinluv 2 years ago
@unc7480 yea jd did swallow the...(area mic)...mic. Not long after this he came up with the idea to mic every voice individually. Isn't that great? now you get to enjoy every sound!!! ESPECIALLY JD'S!!!
jalsante75 1 year ago 3
Enorme...énorme!!
IlNanni 2 years ago
They are great, and I love this song.
calimarton 2 years ago 11
I was blessed to personally meet James Blackwood, what a southern gentleman that
truly loved to sing for his Lord and Master!! The legendary Blackwood Brothers did right when they inducted J.D. Sumner into the group!
kd5hms63 3 years ago
Whitey Gleason is your uncle?? I've been looking for a fantastic piano solo he did on a blackwood brothers record. It's the song "Assurance March". I cannot find that song=I can kinda play it from memory but I would sure love the notes--Do you have any leads you could pass on? Thanks! Krinklebina
krinklebina 3 years ago
Many thanks for this posting. It is now listed among my favorites. What a blessing to see the boy cut the wood and tote the water on this now classic. It is especially heart warming to see the friendship with the world's lowest bass singer..J.D.Sumner and the London Parris a worthy competitor who could hold his own and on any given Sunday could give J.D. a run for his money. I would even rank them in the company of the merciless immortal Herman Harper of the Oaks.
miltmonkey 3 years ago
Gotta love these oldies! Thanks for sharing.
aezanc 3 years ago
who was the other basss singer that came in right at the end ??
tyty13428 3 years ago
London Parris
markcash 3 years ago
GREAT!!!!!
AMILLENNIAL 3 years ago
Beautiful, thanks for share this videos
halcc4 3 years ago
This group performed a few times at the Flint Baptist Temple, Flint, MI - way back when! Their music was the best part of church. They were terrific.
Marmaduke48 3 years ago 3
The pianist is my late uncle, 'Whitey' Gleason - a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and one of my favorite people ever. He had a successful quartet of his own, the Jubilee Quartet, and his son has written Gospel songs that have been recorded by international groups.
God is very great.
hrothgleas 3 years ago
ooops I just sent a question to the general comments--it was meant for you. I've been looking for quite some time for a piano solo called "assurance March" that whitey gleason performed. Any leads on where I could get the song or the notes? Thanks.
krinklebina 3 years ago
Saw London about a month before he died when he sang with the Rebels at the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion.
When the Stamps came out he sat in the seat in front of us to watch them and said there will never be another one like JD Sumner.
To that I will wholeheartedly agree.
gospellover 3 years ago
Amen....big,old and ugly, but a heart of gold!
GospelPhil 3 years ago
No way...you have me wrong...the mike helps them to sing those low notes...London sang his notes, as did JD and the Big Chief, but they had to be amplified like you said to get out to a large auditorum. We sing in a 400 seat church and no mikes are used for anything except for the readers and preacher, so we have to hit the notes to make it go....I wouldn't like to hear an unmiked quartet in a large place....people snore to loud!
GospelPhil 3 years ago
Ok I just wanted to make sure you are not one of these bottom feeders that like to trash someone just because they are famous or try to belitle their accomplishments by making false or misleading videos, utterances etc. like on other videos just to make yourself look good.
I take a dim view of that. Am am willing to verbally spar with anyone that wants to and am here for the duration
gospellover 3 years ago
Did you ever see Seals "low note" Hilton in person? He had a knack for lowering that last note or two below what was expected. Arnold Hiles sang from a wheelchair doing the Jerico Road and the mike was two feet from him...sitting down.!!!
Chalmers Walker of the Memphians Quartet was a great bass. I never bash a bass, but did one long time ago when Billy Todd started with the Florida Boys in the 50's....he was singing baritone.
GospelPhil 3 years ago
Yes I've seen Hilton in person. Parris in person Sumner, Weatherington, Downing, Younce, Todd, Too many to name. If feedback isn't a problem one can run enough volumn on a mike to get good response from some distance. With all the monitors they use now feedback begins to be a problem when a mike is run hot especially on a small stage.
I even talked with Londons voice trainer Leroy Abernathy at Floyd Goldens home in Knoxville years ago. Super low guy too. And high too.
gospellover 3 years ago
The last time I saw London in Memphis, he was selling Fords. Claude Murphy was a real natural bass and he sang with the Hartford Quartet and my mother played the piano for them. She and Doy Ott took turns at the Mississippi State Fair in Pontotoc, MS.
GospelPhil 3 years ago
My personal preference was London over JD...I went to many live performances in Memphis in the late 50's and 60's...the NAQC and London have a deeper presence in his tone than JD. JD sounded like a truck climbing a hill..London learned early on to eat the mike using the extra boost to mellow out his deeper notes....listen to In the Upper Room on one of the old 33 1/3 rpm records and you can hear the low notes.
GospelPhil 3 years ago
In my opinion, It is obvious from this clip, that JD had a fuller, louder bass sound for you can't barely hear Parris at the end. Now, the question is what makes a bass singer better?, his voice, depth, resonance, range? I think how the person control all of these attributes. To me that's what makes a better bass singer. And on this, I feel Parris was a better bass singer, and Big John Hall, the ultimate Bass singer in my opinion.
chowman007 3 years ago
I guess it is depth or resonance that Parris had that was really good. This might not be the best song to listen to for JD Sumner's bass ability, though, as it is more a showcase of Bill Shaw's awesome tenor singing, and JD I know could get lower than he does on this song.
uofmrebel 3 years ago
Take away the microphone and JD was lost...watch the older videos of the Statesmen and BW Brothers and they are all looking for the mike...getting as close as they can...a true bass can do it without help!
GospelPhil 3 years ago
Hey, I have a question about bass singing. J.D. Sumner, Bill Gaither, and others I have seen raise their hand to their ear sometimes. What is this for?
uofmrebel 3 years ago
If you place you cupped hand over your ear, you can hear what you are singing better, especially with others behind you or the studio monitors at your feet blasting away at you. JD did it the most aand sometimes Bill Gaiter will do it. Harold Gilley did it in fun to mimic JD.
GospelPhil 3 years ago
yep GospelPhil hit the nail on the head, and sometimes they do other stuff like plug their ear with their finger or in live shows wear an earpiece so that they can hear there voice without having to do things like that.
Losteryt 3 years ago
GospelPhil
Would you expain what you mean here.
Seems like you are an expert.
Name some professional basses that don't need the mike to be heard in an auditorium with others singing with him.
gospellover 3 years ago
We have a guy at ETSU in Johnson City who can flatfoot a low c without a mike. I stand next to a 5 foot 2 bass in the choir who can belt out low e's and f's without a mike. Listen to the low and double low c list of bass singers that is on youtube.
GospelPhil 3 years ago
GospelPhil
Well since you have some get them to demonstrate their talents.
We will be alright if you just use a camcorder and record them doing a low c and maybe an a or a flat below low c in a song and doing it fluently. None of theis Tim Storms ignorance etc.. Not saying they can't do it because I can hit notes below low c just keying my voice and a piano. And I can do it without a mike too but I couldn't be heard over a piano and 3 others singing in a 5000 seat auditorium. Can they?
gospellover 3 years ago
Who are you and who do you sing with?
GospelPhil 3 years ago
Shaw does some great tenor singing here. At the time this was performed, Parris was lower than J.D. By the 70's, though, JD's voice was as low or lower.
uofmrebel 3 years ago
That information about the lower voice of London is news to me. Do you have any reliable info to back up your clam?
gospellover 3 years ago
Well, anyone who followed Sumner's career knows his voice lowered over time. A columnist for Singing News did a story on the "best bass singers" once and said the same thing. As for London Parris, look at the videos on here for "On Zion's Hill" and "I Want to Get Closer". Parris could sing very, very low notes and was much underrated as a bass singer. Compare the 60's J.D. and the 60's London. Which one is lower in your opinion?
uofmrebel 3 years ago
I am not arguing with you. If I remember correctly London's lowered over time too as most bass singers does. Look at Richard Sterban from the time he was with JD and now.
Look at the early George Younce recordings.
Just about any bass singer you can name (leave Tim Storms out of this discussion) voice has lower over the years. Even some tenors have lowered through maturity of the voice.
So I would have to be given a specific example of a song where you know each bottomed out on.
gospellover 3 years ago
When you say Parris was lower? do you mean his register?, lower voice, depth, resonance?
chowman007 3 years ago
I've been looking all day on all kinds of sites. I want to find Bill Shaw and the Blackwood Brothers doing I'm Thankful.
I just want here it if anyone has it on audio and not video that would be fine.
glorialeeyoung 4 years ago
I heard that Whitey Gleason used to practice 3hours a day!!!
larmoe542 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Haha, the way JD and London look at each other in the end... Something going on there? :P
Bravilor 4 years ago
Ummm, no.
carteru93 4 years ago
its called a joke be cool you all
gudjonv91 4 years ago
No place for humour in the presence of God.
Bravilor 3 years ago
What do you mean? God has a great sense of humor, just look in the mirror!
Nike5265 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I wonder if I had gotten that many thumbs down had not the majority of the viewers been christian and perhaps anti-gay.
Bravilor 3 years ago
Keep your 'gayness' to yourself. Nobody is interested.
chanse117 3 years ago
If you like God, then you should be nice to all people! Haha.
Bravilor 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
yeah...right......
Satan is humoristic...not God...
agohigbeldemann 2 years ago
Sing it bill shaw!! And what about the late great London Parris in on the end. SUCH clarity with his singing...look up "The Rebels quartet, I want to get closer"...wow!!
kuntryboy1983 4 years ago 3
OR Zion's Hill, he does great on that one too.
carteru93 4 years ago
Awesome!
pizarroluigi 4 years ago
I've never heard of them but that was nice
JaeNice13 4 years ago 2
Fantastic JD !!!!!
alstrada 4 years ago 3
This is just great. This is just as I remember the group when I first saw them in 1963. Except the piano player was Wally Verner when I saw them. How wonderful of you to share this with us. Thanks again for posting.
Sandraz1634 4 years ago
I would say that this clip is from around 1965.
jetrec 4 years ago
Dean,what year is this clip from?
I love it..thanks for posting
KennyD
ekua1966 4 years ago
london parris, he joins the blackwoods a few yrs later
ced2281 4 years ago
I don't think so. London Parris was never with the Blackwood Brothers. London with the Rebel's Quartet only sung with the Blackwood Brothers as the two groups sung together. At the end of a show.
Sandraz1634 4 years ago
London Parris sang with the Blackwood Brothers from 1968-1972, he replaced John Hall, and was replaced by Ken Turner...John Hall replaced JD when he left to reorganize the stamps
ced2281 4 years ago
Who joins the group to sing bass with JD at the end?
volscot 4 years ago
That is London Parris who was singing bass with the Rebel's Quartet at that time.
Sandraz1634 4 years ago
Another great video Dean.
stormyeyedbear 4 years ago